Facts about Israel in Maps - Draiman

Facts about Israel in Maps

Before we go over the history of the region, let's get a handle on what lands and territories we are discussing.

This section will cover some maps of the Middle East and Israel. This will allow us to better understand the size of Israel and its neighbors, where exactly is the West Bank and Gaza (what is referred to as the occupied territories), etc...

Israel is located in the Middle East, on the eastern side of the Mediterranean, at the juncture of Europe, Asia and Africa:

Let's get an idea of the size of Israel:

The above picture shows Israel drawn to the same scale as California - if you are not from California, click here for other comparison maps.

Next, let's see Israel in the midst of its neighbors of the Middle East:

Or if we include the Arab countries from Northern Africa as well we get the following:

Israel is actually smaller than the areas shown above. If we zoom in, we can see the details of Israel in its borders of 1948 and the West Bank and Gaza:

When you hear something about the "occupied" territories, the newscaster is reffering to the West Bank and Gaza. To realize how small these areas are, here's a map that shows the distances between major Israeli cities and the West Bank and Gaza:

The Palestinian suicide bombers and terrorists that fire into civilian crowds come from the West Bank and Gaza - their commute is not very long.

For more maps, click here.

Finally, here's a satellite picture of Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza. As you can see, the whole State of Israel can be shown in one picture: